Hardwood Flooring Guide & Reviews

For centuries people have sought the natural beauty of wood to use as flooring. At one time hardwood flooring was fairly simple. The wood flooring planks were cut from large logs, milled into planks, nailed down, stained and then finished in your home. These early wood floors were mainly 3/4" thick, 2-1/4" wide, solid strip planks that were waxed after being stained. For example, 3/4" by 2-1/4" wide, solid oak flooring was extremely popular in many homes. There were also wide pine planks used in some areas and was popular during the colonial period.

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Today, homeowners have many more choices than ever before from olde World to classy contemporary, to rich exotic hardwood styles. Combine all these exciting new wood offerings with the tremendous improvements in factory finishes and hardwood flooring installation and it is no wonder so many people are starting to use hardwood flooring throughout their homes. The Hardwood Flooring Guide is meant to help homeowners to better understand and explore the different hardwood flooring types and where to use them in a home. As well as explain some of the common misunderstandings about hardwood flooring.

One of the things that makes a hardwood floor so appealing is that each wood plank is as unique as the trees they come from and wood's natural textures and subtle shades add character and richness that can't be duplicated even by laminate flooring. Today, hardwood floors are offered in both solid hardwood flooring and a variety of engineered hardwood floors. Both types of hardwood flooring are offered in many North American hardwood species as well as numerous exotic hardwood species from around the World. This gives homeowners the opportunity to express themselves like never before with their own unique decorating styles.

If you are looking to estimate the amount of hardwood flooring you may need to buy start here: Hardwood Floor Estimator & Cost Calculator. This is especially helpful for those homeowners planning on doing their own hardwood flooring instlaation. See also: Hardwood Flooring Types to better understand the differences between the various types of hardwood flooring construction.

While the Hardwood Flooring Guide will try to help you determine which type of hardwood floor is best for your situation, we do not tell you which hardwood flooring brand to buy. There are many excellent wood brands to choose from, such as: Bruce Hardwood Floors, Mannington Wood Floors, Anderson, Lauzon, Mirage, Shaw, Mohawk, Mullican and many, many more. Which one you select depends on your decorating tastes and budget.